To See Through the Eyes of Another
by Music is the Song of Life
Summary: In London during World War II, the Conrad sisters are on the brink of giving up hope when they are whisked away into a land straight from fairytales. But how far will the sisters have to push themselves just to survive in this wintery kingdom?
1. Chapter 1

_To many, the stories of fairytales have no meaning. The stories of elves and unicorns, fairies and nymphs, trolls and goblins, the stories of dark and light, war and peace, good and evil. It was all simply that; a fairytale, make believe, only the product of old wives' tales and children's stories. For Anna and Emma Conrad; however, these stories were about to become all too real..._

The war had dragged on longer than anyone had expected. The city of London lay in ruin from the previous night's raids. No doubt they would continue for several more weeks. Demolished buildings littered the streets with their former contents. Shattered glass, bedposts, chairs, pictures in their frames; all scattered like a forgotten memory. Anna Conrad stepped carefully through the rubble, being careful not to snag her stockings or scrape her skin. Emma, her younger sister, stepped carefully in her elder sister's footsteps, staring dismally at photographs that lie strewn across the rubble. It was a grim sight for anyone to behold.

No one could deny that the war was progressively getting worse. The air raids had been going on for months and now the Germans were even brave enough to cast a raid in broad daylight. Anna's mind wandered to her father, who had been drafted to fight the war almost a year ago. She missed him terribly and she knew Emma had to miss him that much more. Emme and their father had always been close and since the day he left she had been devastated, always with a sad lost look on her face. Anna could only hope that her father would write again soon.

Neither sister could deny it. Times were hard. Their little neighborhood in West Norwood was ravaged. Ever since their father has gone, their mother was constantly worrying, and it was starting to show in her appearance. She had huge bags under her eyes, showing that she hadn't slept in days. She hardly remembered Anna and Emma, and when she did, it was like she wasn't even seeing them; like she was in some alternate reality, where everything was back to normal. She'd serve tea to their father's empty chair, like she always did when he got home from work. And she even set his place at the dinner table. Anna and Emma agreed it would be in their mother's best interest to just play along for the time being. After all, she was bringing no harm to either sister or herself. She was brokenhearted and missed her husband. Anna loved her father dearly, but even she could not imagine what her mother was going through. To have someone you love so dearly ripped away from you and to never know if the Messenger is going to show up on your doorstep one day with his helmet and a letter….

Anna cleared her mind of the previous thoughts. She knew she had to stay strong, both for her mother and sister. She just wished she could do more to comfort them. Sometimes she felt so useless.

The siren's started blaring uncontrollably. Anna looked around in a panic at how late it had gotten. The sky was already a deep orange as the sun sank dangerously close to the horizon. Anna's panic grew even more as she saw the black dots appeared over the horizon line. She grabbed Emma's hand and took off down a nearby alleyway. She could hear the plane engines roaring louder. Anna knew she had to think quickly before both her and Emma were buried under tons of debris. Anna spotted her answer in the form of a metal plated door leding into the ground.

"A bomb shelter!" she thought aloud as she pried open the door and flung her sister inside. Anna quickly followed, slamming the door shut, plunging her and Emma into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Anna scrambled through the pockets of her raincoat, withdrawing a small pack of matches. After striking a single light, Anna spotted an oil lamp on a nearby table. She quickly removed the glass bulb covering the wick and lit the lamp. She shook the match to snuff it and glanced around the now dimly lit room. It was completely coated in dust, making it seem like it had been decades since someone had been down there. The entire room began to shake from the bombs that were being dropped overhead. Anna continued scanning the room and her eyes eventually came to rest on her sister, who had taken refuge in a corner on the opposite side of the room.

"Emma?" Anna walked across the room and kneeled in front of her sister, who was clutching her knees to her chest. As she moved closer, Anna could see the glittering of tear stains on her sister's cheeks.

"Emma dearest, we're all right," Anna said as she swiped some of her sister's hair out of her face, "Why are you crying?"

Emma began taking short, ragged breaths as she tried to calm herself enough to speak. Anna simply sat there comforting her sister. She didn't know what else to do. When Emma began taking long even breaths, Anna sat down on her raincoat and listened.

"I was so scared…I thought we were going to die," Emma was starting to work herself up again, and Anna waited until she calmed down, "If anything happened to us, what would mother do?"

Anna sat mouth agape. She had no idea how to answer that question. Their mother was so torn apart just by having their father taken off to fight. What would she do if one of them were to actually die? Anna couldn't even imagine what mother would do.

"Emma, we're fine," she finally resolved, "We'll be back home before you know it. And mother will be fine."

Emma glanced up at her elder sister, tear stains now littering her face. Anna gave her a look of sympathy. Her sister's tender heart was always her most admirable quality. Anna stood and left Emma to herself so that she could look around for some provisions. She found n old icebox in another corner of the room and looked inside. All she found were a few boxes of crackers and some water. Anna closed the icebox in defeat and walked over to sit a small teak chair that sat alongside of Emma. As she approached, Emma glanced up in Anna's direction. Emma's face had dried and she was breathing evenly, with the occasional sniffle. Anna sat and simply stared at the ceiling as the ground shook even more violently from the force of the multiple blasts that struck the gorund.

"I hope this passes quickly," Anna said to no one in particular.

"Why?" Emma inquired, "It's not like we have anywhere to be." Anna knew she was right, but she still didn't want to be stuck underground with only an oil lamp for light.

"The icebox is practically empty. Just biscuits and water." Emma nodded her understanding and leaned back against the wall. Anna could tell this entire situation was the one of the least pleasurable she and her sister would ever be in. The question was what to do?

Anna saw a glint on the table where the lamp sat. Upon closer inspection, Anna spotted something she hadn't before. There was a box shape sitting next to the lamp. Anna got up and moved toward the table, cautiously, for fear of it being an explosive.

"Anna, what's wrong?" Emma questioned as she noticed her sister moving across the room. Anna paid no attention, as her focus was on the box in front of her. As she stepped closer, Anna noticed that the box was actually a book, a journal by the looks of it. The glint she had seen, was the reflection of the flame off of the golden lock.

Anna carefully picked up the book and gave it a once over, then blew a thick layer of dust off of the cover.

"_Fabula Fingo?_" Anna questioned. It sounded Latin but she was never much for foreign studies.

"It means Tales of Fiction," Emma explained, "My question is, what is a fairytale book doing down here in this dark place?"

Emma was right. They were in a bomb shelter, and an abandoned one at that. All that was here was an old oil lamp, an almost empty icebox, and a book? None of it made sense. Anna began to pry the book open, but found that she needed a key. She searched all around the table and nearby area and was just about to give up when she spotted something underneath the lamp. She picked it up and found a small golden key lying underneath it. She placed the tiny key into the lock and heard a soft clicked when she turned it.

Anna flipped open the book, to come face to face with some of the most extraordinary pictures she'd ever seen. Her eyes was especially drawn to a particulally beautiful woman, dressed completely in white and surrounded by snow and ice. Anna even noticed that her clothing was even made up of sheets of ice and frost. Anna tried to read the story the picture depicted, but the entire book was written in Latin.

"Hey Em, do you think you could translate this one for me?" Anna passed her younger sister the book, who quickly began to translate.

"_Niveus Veneficus,"_ she began, and upon seeing her sister bewildered expression, she explained, "The White Witch, or the current ruler of Narnia, is most well known for invoking the Everlasting Winter, in which she makes it always winter, but never Christmas. Her cruelty is know across Narnia, and is even known by the neighboring countries, who refuse to invade for fear of her dark magic."

"That's pretty dark for a children's book," Anna pointed out, "What else does it say?"

Emma squinted at the book before turning back to her sister, "Nothing I can make out. It's not Latin. In fact, I've never seen this language before in my life." Anna glanced at her and then looked at the book for herself and sure enough, the language was something she'd never seen in her life. Strange.

Emma then began shivering and rubbing her arms, "Anna, did it suddenly get colder in here?"

Upon looking up, Anna noticed that she could see her sister's breaths condensation in front of her face. But there was no way it could be that cold. It was the middle of April after all. But then Anna felt it, and it felt like a sudden cold front had settled itself in the exact shelter she and her sister had settled in.

Then came the gusts of wind. It started off as a small breeze then slight drafts. Before either sister knew it, full force gusts were blowing through the entire room, cause Anna's dark hair to whipped around her face, obscuring her vision. She reached out for Emma, who took hold of her hand almost automatically. Anna could hear Emma's screams and she opened her mouth to try and calm her, but she could think of nothing to say. Honestly, she was just as scared as she was.

Anna could see snow blowing around in terrifying circles, surrounding her and Emma. The wind had become unbearably cold, and Anna could feel her feet going numb. The wind continued to pick up until it was blowing so fast that Anna was dizzy from the movement.

It was then that Anna felt weightless, as if she was flying through the sky. She didn't dare open her eyes for fear of what she'd see. She simply clutched Emma's hand tighter until she could feel her knuckled turn white.

Anna felt herself being tossed around like a ragdoll. She could feel the sting of scrapes and scratches from sharp objects that passed her by. Through all the pain, she continued to keep a firm grip n her sister's hand. All of a sudden, Anna felt everything go quiet and she felt her body make unexpected contact with the ground below her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

The forceful winds had stopped, but Anna still felt cold. Her head pounded, like there was a heavy drum behind her skull. The pain caused Anna to clutch her eyes.

'What's happened to me?' Anna thought, as she reached up and clutched her head. She gently opened her eyes to come face to face with a small white rabbit. Shocked, Anna bolted upright, and placed her hand down in the snow to steady herself. Wait, snow?

Anna jerked around and sure enough, the entire landscape was covered on the pure white fluff. Anna eyes grew wide as she too in the nearby mountains and rolling hills. It was a winter wonderland. The only problem: it wasn't home. Emma would surely….

'Emma!' Anna thought frantically as she searched the area for any sign of her sister. She found none. Anna quickly stood and brushed herself clean of some lingering snowflakes and ice shards. She quickly began to explore the area, while still looking for her sister. She then began to hear these soft, uneven sounds, but Anna could not make out what they were, let alone their origin. As she walked closer toward what she assumed to be the source of the sound, she came across the strangest thing she'd seen since she'd awoken, which wasn't accounting for much. In the middle of a small clearing, Anna spotted a single, solitary lamp post.

As she listened closer to the sounds, Anna noticed that it sounded like sobbing. Anna then carefully walked closer to the strange light and noticed there was something sitting at its base. Upon closer inspection, Anna discovered it to be someone she'd been searching for.

"Emma!" Anna quickly ran to the crying girl and hugged her tight stroking her head softly as her sister continued sobbing.

"It's all right dear, I'm here. We're okay," Anna said, attempting to console her almost hysterical sister. Emma looked up at her sister, eyes puffy and red from her tears, face almost blue and frozen from the cold.

"I-I didn't kn-know wh-wh-what to d-do. I th-th-thought you were d-dead." Anna could understand her sister's worry. After all, she had been lying face down in the snow.

"I know dear. But we're alright. Now we just need to find out where we are," Anna stated, noticing a castle in between the mountains in the distance. Emma looked at her sister fearfully.

"Anna, we can't stay here. Who knows what kind of people we might find here. Or worse, what kind of animals."

Anna glanced around and noticed a slight rustle in some nearby bushes before she turned to analyze some nearby mountains. She could not deny that she was scared herself, and she had no idea what to expect from this place. But it looked like too much of an opportunity to just allow it to slip through their fingers.

"I know you'll probably hate me for this," Anna started, picking her words very carefully, for fear of shocking or scaring her sister, "But I think we should explore. Who knows? We may have just discovered the Eighth Wonder of the World."

Emma did not look convinced but went along with it anyway. Though she still looked incredibly unsure, she agreed with Anna, and the two began their journey into the unknown. But little did the sisters realize that the forest itself was watching them.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Anna continued down a sort of path through the forest, trudging very carefully through the snow. It did little to improve their situation. Anna's stocking had long been soaked through and her legs were slowly freezing. Her shoes did nothing to keep her feet dry or warm and her arms stung as the bitter cold wind whipped against them. She knew Emma was just as bad off, if not worse. Her lips were blue and her face was tired. The tears she had allowed to fall were frozen to her cheeks and her eyes were sullen. She looked ready to fall asleep, but Anna knew if she or Emma did, they would not be waking up.

It was then that Anna realized that the Sun was sinking toward the horizon. The day was drawing to a close, and they were sitting ducks. Who knows what kinds of creatures roam this forest, especially at night. Anna decided that she needed to find shelter, if not for herself, for Emma. Anna's heart broke as she thought about how much she wanted to help her sister, but couldn't. Anna finally came to terms with herself and started searching frantically for someplace away from the wind. She eventually found what she was looking for in the form of a burrow which led down into the earth. As Anna moved to make her way inside so that she could scope it out, she stopped by the logical voice of her sister.

"What do you think you are doing?" Emma was on the brink of frantic. She couldn't believe what her sister was about to do.

"I need to scope out the thing before I can determine if it's safe or not," Anna knew she could allow herself to be seen as scared or Emma would use that to her advantage.

"But what if there's some sort of carnivorous animal in there just lying in wait for something to wander in there?" Emma was trying to hold back tears. She couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her sister, especially in this strange place, "Anna, you could be killed. And you don't have a weapon to defend yourself."

Anna knew that her sister was right, but continued to be stubborn. She analyzed the area around her and eventually found what she had been looking for. She walked over to the roots of a nearby tree and found a large, sturdy stick, which she now brandished as a weapon.

"Listen, if it will make you feel better, I will carry this thing around as a weapon, "Anna said, indicating her stick, "Are we done here?"

Emma was still not convinced, but could find nothing else to say. She simply stood there with her arms crossed and a very disapproving look on her face. Anna ignored it and made her way toward the burrow.

Anna slipped into the surprisingly large hole in the side of the bank and allowed her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting before she allowed herself to move freely around the den. She listened intently as she tried to get an accurate scope of the size of the burrow. It was relatively large and seemed abandoned. Anna could not find any back entrances or and signs that anything had been there recently. Satisfied with her findings, she went back to the only entrance to find her sister. As she approached however, she found that Emma was no longer pacing uncomfortably in front of the den entrance. In fact, she was nowhere to be seen.

Anna's heart began pounding in her ears. How had she not heard Emma's struggles? How could she not have heard whatever had approached and taken her sister? Anna continued analyzing her surroundings and found no blood, to her relief. So whatever had snagged Emma had not killed her. At least not yet.

Anna also saw no skid marks where Emma would have been dragged away. Instead, she saw one set of footprints headed away from her present location.

'What in the devil?' Anna's thoughts were bordering on the frantic. Her sister had disappeared and she had no idea where to start looking for her. She ran the perimeter around the burrow several times before she collapsed in front of the den entrance. The sadness enveloped her, and she hugged her knees to her chest as her silent tears fell and froze along her face. She simply sat there in the snow, frozen with fear and sadness for Emma.

The nearby bushes rustled loudly in Anna head. Her thoughts snapped back to her present state of urgency and danger. She quickly stood from her spot on the ground and quickly reached for the stick she had left at the entrance of the den and took a defensive stance as she prepared to fend off whatever had taken up residency in the bushes.

She was not prepared for her sister to walk out of the foliage.

As Emma stood there in front of Anna, Anna's entire body went rigid. She could form any coherent thoughts. She simply dropped the stick and ran to her sister and pulled her into a bone crushing embrace, causing Emma to drop the bundle of sticks she had been carrying.

"You alright?" Emma's voice was heavy with worry as she saw the frozen tears on her sister's face. Anna couldn't even attempt to cover the relief that had washed over her when Emma had walked out of the bushes. She tried to act like she wasn't worried, being in this strange place. Truth was, she was terrified at every turn. She had no idea what this strange world would throw at them and she didn't want to find out.

"I'm fine, really," Anna said wiping the ice trails from her face, "I just didn't know where you'd gone."

"I went to go gather some wood so we could make a small fire," Emma began as she leaned over to pick the sticks up off the ground, "I'm sure we could dig a ventilation shaft in the roof of the den and you still have those matches on you, right?"

Anna reached into her raincoat pocket and felt the small box still there. She nodded at her sister and Emma walked and slid into the den, bundle of sticks still in hand. Anna followed suit, picking her makeshift club up along the way. She slid back into the entrance and found Emma stabbing a small hole in the roof above where she had placed the sticks. Anna walked up to the pile of wood after she saw Emma finish with the ceiling and pulled out her small box of matches. She struck one and lit a flame, and huddle as close to it as she could to warm her slightly frozen body. Anna's adrenaline had been keeping her warm, but now it had subsided and she was now freezing. Emma came and sat next to her sister and cuddled close to her body for warmth. Emma had always been more frail then Anna and her body was not built for this kind of weather. Anna wrapped her arms around her sister and rubbed her arms. Emma was ice cold and Anna realized she needed to find adequate shelter and warmth tomorrow, or Emma might not make it through the week.

Anna's eyes teared up at the thought of losing her sister. She couldn't bear it. She turned to Emma who was falling asleep.

"Emma why don't you try and get some sleep? I'll keep watch," Anna urged her sister. She didn't think she'd be getting any sleep anyway.

"If you're sure," And with that, Emma curled up into a ball next to Anna and fell into a deep slumber. Anna chuckled at her sister and looked at the entrance to the den, where she could see the moon in the distance steadily making its way through the sky.

"Goodnight Emma," Anna said absentmindedly and listened to the sounds of night, as Emma's steady breathing kicked in, "And don't worry, I'll keep you safe."

The sounds of the night continued and as Anna kept watch through the night. The wolf howls in the distance did little to settle Anna's head, but she made due. And just as the sun began to peek over the horizon, causing the snow to shimmer in anticipation, Anna's body finally relaxed and she allowed her eyes to close.


End file.
